Hydrodynamic hairlessness is a feature of Elaine Morgan’s aquatic ape story. But hairlessness may have evolved for parasite reduction, as discussed in this story in National Geographic (Photo, National Geographic, Corbis) I’d like to recommend a look at this lengthy and very informative discussion of the Aquatic Ape Story.
And for the classic source providing the skeptic’s view of the Aquatic Ape Story, there is always Jim Moore’s site, here.
Speaking of Apes and (the other) Jim Moore (UC San Diego), let me also reintroduce a site that’s been around for a long time but is still a useful resource for those interesting in the study of African Apes. The African Ape Study Sites site.
Hi Greg,
Just wanted to say thanks for informing me about Jim Moore’s African Apes site, as I found the gibbon site from there, which contained a photo of siamangs with inflated laryngeal air sacs adjacent to open water. I think the apes enlarged lar. air sac (and subsequent loss of the tail) derived from selection for both vertical flotation in wetland habitat and increased vocalization & visualization with reduced olfaction. I speculate that the subsequent shrinkage of the air sacs in gibbons was due to moving to higher ground forest canopies, and the later reduction in Homo air sacs due to a change from vertical floating to horizontal backfloating with skin fat (rather than air sacs) providing buoyancy. Thanks again. DDeden